Wray Warner, Executive Chef, 4UR Ranch
Wray Warner grew up with a fascination for food, watching and learning from Julia Child and reading through cookbooks. But it wasn’t until he was 27 years old that he decided to go to culinary school. He attended Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, in upstate New York where he grew up. While still a student, he began working in the kitchen at the Relais & Chateaux property, Lake Placid Lodge. He then traveled to Burgundy, France where he staged with renowned Chef Marc Meneau at the two Michelin-starred L’Espérance, in Vézelay. He returned stateside to graduate college and moved just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to cook at The Red Rock Ranch, a family-owned dude ranch. There he created and served rustic, family-style dishes before continuing on to The Four Seasons nearby. He then joined the team as sous chef at 4UR Ranch in 2005, working his way up to executive chef in 2007.
At 4UR Ranch, Wray’s approach to food is simple, uncomplicated and delicious, with local ingredients and seasonal flavors. Guests at the all-inclusive ranch stay for one week, so Wray has to keep the menu different for daily breakfasts, lunches and dinners. He mixes Asian and Southwest flavors and takes inspiration from other various regional cuisines. One of the ranch’s most popular mainstays on the menu is the mixed green salad with strawberry poppy seed vinaigrette. He uses The Perfect Purée Strawberry Puree in the dressing to enhance the colorful salad. Wray also rotates sorbet flavors on the dessert menu, most of which are made with The Perfect Purée’s line of flavors. They are easily incorporated into sauces and vinaigrettes in his seasonal dishes.
Wray loves the ease of use of the purees. He says they save time, offer smooth and consistent flavors and allow him to stretch the seasonality of various fruits. He can serve dishes featuring strawberries year-round. In his strawberry shortcake, Wray uses the puree to bulk up the flavor in the dessert, alongside the fruit itself. Here, Wray shares his recipes below for Strawberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette as well as his Piña Colada Sorbet.